Jan and Dean's Dean Torrence Is Still Making Music, 60 Years After His Partner's Crash

Dean Torrence is 86 years old, but he still has a full head of blonde hair and can remember events from nearly 70 years ago with sharp detail. He is one half of Jan and Dean, a surf-rock duo that scored huge hits in the early 1960s with songs like "Surf City" and "Dead Man's Curve." Dean recently sat down for a long interview and talked about his music career, his friendship with the Beach Boys, and the tragic car accident that changed his partner Jan Berry's life forever.

Jan Berry and Dean Torrence first met in 1957 at Emerson Junior High School in Los Angeles. Both boys loved doo-wop music — a style of singing that used close harmonies and was very popular in the 1950s. One day, the boys started singing together in the school shower room after football practice, and Dean discovered he could hit the high falsetto notes that nobody else was singing. That simple moment helped start one of rock's most famous duos.

Jan was a natural leader with a genius-level IQ. He was bold, funny, and a little rule-breaking — Dean once spotted him sneaking off school grounds to buy ice cream while smoking a cigar. When Jan invited Dean to his house in Bel Air, Dean saw a piano, microphones, and two tape recorders. With those tools, the boys learned how to layer sounds and create an echo effect, which made their singing sound polished and exciting.

With help from a young Lou Adler and Herb Alpert, Jan and Dean got a record deal and started landing songs on the radio. They also got big support from Dick Clark, who featured them on his popular TV show American Bandstand. One appearance on that show could send hundreds of thousands of records flying off the shelves, so the duo did not need to tour constantly to find fans.

Even as their music took off, both Jan and Dean stayed in school. Dean studied advertising design at USC, while Jan went to UCLA and later studied medicine. Most bands would have dropped out of school to focus on music and touring, but Jan and Dean liked the balance school gave them. It kept them from burning out and gave them time to think clearly about big decisions.

Jan and Dean met the Beach Boys in the early 1960s and quickly became friends and collaborators. They discovered that Brian Wilson was the group's creative genius. Together, they recorded "Surf City," a song that shot to number one and helped turn surf music into a national craze. The recording session featured world-class studio musicians including drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Glen Campbell, and pianist Leon Russell.

Dean also ended up singing lead on the Beach Boys' famous recording of "Barbara Ann," though it happened almost by accident. One night, Dean wandered into the Beach Boys' recording studio while his own session was on a break — even though Jan had told him not to sing on anything. After just a few takes, they had a fun, joyful recording that became a huge hit. At the very end, you can hear Beach Boy Carl Wilson say, "Thanks, Dean," as Dean heads out the door.

Then, on April 12, 1966, everything changed. Jan Berry crashed his car into a gardening truck in Beverly Hills after a frustrating visit to the draft board. The accident left Jan with severe brain damage and partial paralysis, and he was in a coma for more than 20 days. Dean found out about it at school from a classmate, and he later said it felt like their whole future had collapsed in a single day.

During the years that followed, Dean put his college education to work by starting a graphic design company called Kittyhawk. He created iconic album covers for famous artists like Chicago, the Beach Boys, Steve Martin, and the Supremes. His designs were creative and thoughtful in ways that most music industry art departments were not used to at the time. It helped him build a successful new career while Jan slowly recovered.

Jan and Dean reunited after a 1978 TV movie called Deadman's Curve introduced their story to millions of new fans. Jan loved being back on stage, even though the accident had left him with lasting physical and mental challenges. Dean was moved by the way fans showed up to support Jan no matter what, but it was also painful to watch his old partner struggle. Dean continued performing with Jan for two years longer than he felt he should have, just to protect Jan's legacy.

Jan Berry died in 2004 after years of health problems caused by the 1966 accident. Today, Dean still performs with a group called the Surf City All-Stars, and he has a new project in the works with two former Beach Boys members, which he calls the Part-Time Legends. He hopes that one day, Jan and Dean will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He only wishes it had happened while Jan was still alive to enjoy it.